Bright, fresh blood in stool

QuestionEdit

My 10 year old cat, who is taking oral steriods and a bronchial dialator for asthma, had bright red, fresh blood in his stool this evening. Is this related to his condition or his medications? Or is this a separate problem I should check out with our veterinarian?

AnswerEdit

Fresh or frank blood on a formed stool can be an innocent finding(meaning it can have no serious underlying cause) or it can be a sign of colitis in cats. Since your cat is on prednisone I would be a bit more concerned about the blood since this drug can cause irritation to the gi tract. It would be reasonable to have a stool sample checked and just mention the blood incident to your veterinarian. You may also want to talk to your veterinarian about the use of a steroid inhaler for controlling your cat's asthma instead of oral prednisone. Some cats can be controlled with just the inhaler if they will tolerate it. Good Luck!